Door closing preventer



Aug. 17, 1965 F. L. JARNOT 3,200,434

DOQR CLOSING PREVENTER Filed Oct. 5, 1963.

Fig.

Frank L. Jamar I N VEN TOR. BY 240% United States Patent 3,200,434 DOOR CLUSING PREVENTER Frank L. Jarnot, 190 Orland St., Bridgeport, Conn. Filed Oct. 3, 1963, Ser. No. 313,487 7 Claims. (Cl. 16--86) The present invention is generally concerned with safety devices, and is more particularly directed to a device for preventing an accidental closing and locking of a closure means, particularly a door. It is a primary object of the instant invention to provide a safety device which will prevent the relatively common occurrence of a child accidentally locking himself in a room.

In conjunction with the above object, it is also an object of the instant invention to provide a device which can be utilized to prevent any accidental closing and locking of a door.

It is also an object of the instant invention to provide a device for automatically preventing the closing of the door once the door has been opened, while at the same time being quickly and easily moved so as to allowfor a conventional closing of the door when desired.

In addition, it is an object of the instant invention to provide a device which is relatively simple in structure, inexpensive to manufacture, and easy and convenient to install at any desired point adjacent a door opening, the device preferably being installed well above the reach of any child thus preventing any interference with its functioning so as to preclude an unintentional locking of the door.

In achieving the above objects, it is contemplated that the device of the instant invention include an elongated resilient bumper suspended horizontally by an elongated flexible member which in turn is afiixed to a structure, adjacent a door opening, by a mounting means including a pressure sensitive adhesive thereon.

These together with other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of the device of the instant invention installed in conjunction with a door opening;

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken substantially upon a plane passing along line 2-2 of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is an exploded perspective view of the mounting means;

FIGURE 4 is a cross-sectional view illustrating the manner in which the device of the instant invention functions so as to prevent accidental closing of a door;

FIGURE 5 is a perspective view of the rear of the mounting means with the adhesive covering strip partially removed.

Referring now more specifically to the drawings, the reference numeral is used to generally designate the safety device comprising the instant invention. This safety device 10 consists basically of an elongated rubber bumper 12, on elongated flexible member, preferably in the form of a chain 14, and a mounting means 16.

The rubber bumper 12 is generally semi-cylindrical and includes a relatively broad rear fiat face 13 which is to be engaged flush against the surface of a structure adjacent a door opening 20 with a portion of the bumper 12 extending inwardly beyond the side of the opening 20 for engagement by a door 22. Incidentally, it should be appreciated that while one type of door 22 has been specifically illustrated, the device of the instant invention is equally applicable to all types of doors, including 31%,434 Patented Aug. 17, 1965 refrigerator doors, as well as various types of windows. The mounting means 16 consists of a flat plate 24 having a pressure sensitive adhesive 26 on the rear surface thereof, this adhesive 26 being protected, until used, by a strip or film 28. The peripheral edge of the disk or plate 24 is forwardly folded as at 30 and terminates in a plurality of forwardly projecting resilient fingers 32 extending first slightly outwardly and then slightly inwardly so as to form a ring of contact points 34 between the outwardly and inwardly extending portions of each of the fingers 32. In addition, as will be noted from the drawings, the side edges of each of the fingers converge forwardly toward each other.

The flexible member or link chain 14 has its upper end engaged with the mounting means 16 by the positioning of one of the enlargements or beads 36 between a pair of adjacent fingers 32, the diverging edges of the fingers facilitating the insertion of the enlargement 36 of the chain 14 with this enlargement 36 being orientated within the concave seat provided between the outwardly and inwardly extending portions of the adjacent fingers 32 thus overcoming any tendency of the enlargement 36 moving out from between the fingers 32. Further, a cylindrical closed end cap 38 is slipped over the fingers 32 and frictionally retained thereon, with its annular edge engaged against the forwardly turned peripheral portion 30 of the plate 24, by frictional engagement with the contact points 34 of the fingers 32, this cap being provided with an opening or notch 40 therein so as to accommodate the flexible member 14 therethrough. By such an arrangement, it will be appreciated that the cap 38 firmly locks the chain enlargement 36 to the mounting device 16.

The lower end of the chain 14 is frictionally engaged within the resilient bumper 12 at the longitudinal center thereof whereby, upon a mounting of the device 10, the resilient bumper 12 will horizontally orientate itself so as to project inwardly of the side of the door opening for engagement by the door 22 as illustrated in FIGURE 4, the relatively broad fiat face insuring against any possibility of bumper 12 rolling out of position.

From the foregoing, it will be appreciated that a relatively simple though highly novel safety device has been defined which can be, through the pressure sensitive adhesive, quickly and properly mounted so as to prevent the accidental, or in the case of small children, the intentional closing and locking of a door or other closure means. Basically, the safety device includes a resiliently elongated bumper suspended from its longitudinal midpoint, so as to be horizontally orientated, by the elongated flexible chain which in turn has its upper end engaged with forwardly projecting resilient fingers on a plate bearing pressure sensitive adhesive, these fingers, with the chain engaged therewith, being enclosed by a cap so as to lock the chain therein.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention as claimed.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

1. A safety device for preventing the accidental closing of an opening through a wall by a swinging closure means, comprising an elongated resilient bumper having a relatively broad fiat face extending along the length thereof, an elongated flexible member having one end thereof secured to the mid-point along the length of the bumper, and mounting means fixed to the other end of said flexible member for mounting the device on the face of the wall in a manner so as to freely suspend the flexible member adjacent the opening in the wall with the bumper having the fiat face thereof positioned against the face of the wall and with a portion of the bumper projecting laterally inward beyond the side of the opening into the path of travel of the closure means for engagement by a closure means so as to prevent a complete closing of the opening.

2. The device of claim 1 wherein said mounting means includes a fiat plate having an adhesive on one face thereof, and a plurality of forwardly projecting peripherally spaced resilient fingers on the other face thereof, said flexible member having an enlargement on said other end, said enlargement being removably positioned inwardly of selected ones of said fingers and retained thereby.

3. The device of claim 2 including a cap engaged over and retained by said fingers, said cap including an aperture therein so as to allow for the extension of the flexible member therethrough.

4. The device of claim 3 wherein said fingers are generally concavo-convex and present an inwardly directed concave seat means, said enlargement being received within said seat means.

5. A safety device for mounting on the frame of a horizontally swingable door comprising an elongated resilient bumper, an elongated flexible member having one end thereof secured to the longitudinal center of the bumper, mounting means fixed to the other end of the flexible member and securing said other end to the front surface of the frame, said bumper being suspended horizontally by said elongated member below the mounting means, said bumper overlying the front surface of the frame and extending into the path of travel of the door for preventing the complete closing of the door, said flexible member enabling both a manual moving of the bumper out of the path of travel of the door so as to allow a selective closing of the door, and a subsequent opening of the door and automatic return of the bumper into the path of travel of the door so as to again prevent a complete closing of the door.

6. The device of claim 5 wherein said mounting means includes a front plate having an adhesive on one face thereof, and a plurality of forwardly projecting peripherally spaced resilient fingers on the other face thereof, said flexible member having an enlargement on said other end, said enlargement being remova'bly positioned inwardly of selected ones of said fingers and retained thereby.

7. The device of claim 6 wherein said fingers are generally concavo-convex and present an inwardly directed concave seat means, said enlargement being received within said seat means, and a cap engaged over and retained by said fingers, said cap enclosing said fingers and including an aperture therein so as to allow for the extension of the flexible member therethrough.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,117,230 11/14 Page 1683 1,560,029 11/25 Erickson 2467.1 1,579,265 4/26 Welsh 16-83 1,814,303 7/31 Finlay 2467.1 2,175,403 10/39 Larson l683 2,975,538 3/61 Murfin 2467.1

FOREIGN PATENTS 537,415 1/ 32 Germany.

DONLEY J. STOCKING, Primary Examiner. 

1. A SAFETY DEVICE FOR PREVENTING THE ACCIDENTAL CLOSING OF AN OPENING THROUGH A WALL BY A SWINGING CLOSURE MEANS, COMPRISING AN ELONGATED RESILIENT BUMPER HAVING A RELATIVELY BROAD FLAT FACE EXTENDING ALONG THE LENGTH THEREOF, AN ELONGATED FLEXIBLE MEMBER HAVING ONE END THEREOF SECURED TO THE MID-POINT ALONG THE LENGTH OF THE BUMPER, AND MOUNTING MEANS FIXED TO THE OTHER END OF SAID FLEXIBLE MEMBER FOR MOUNTING THE DEVICE ON THE FACE OF THE WALL IN A MANNER SO AS TO FREELY SUSPEND THE FLEXIBLE MEMBER ADJACENT THE OPENING IN THE WALL WITH THE BUMPER HAVING THE FLAT FACE THEREOF POSITIONED AGAINST THE FACE OF THE WALL AND WITH A PORTION OF THE BUMPER PROJECTING LATERALLY INWARD BEYOND THE SIDE OF THE OPENING INTO THE PATH OF TRAVEL OF THE CLOSURE MEANS FOR ENGAGEMENT BY A CLOSURE MEANS SO AS TO PREVENT A COMPLETE CLOSING OF THE OPENING. 